River Deep, Mountain High
by alisonmichal
Summary: Sam and Dean take Alec on his first hunt, but it's not as easy as it looks.
1. Chapter 1

_So this is the sequel to Family, but you don't have to ready Family to know what's going on. _

* * *

Alec casually walked toward the motel room he was sharing with Sam and Dean. It'd been about a week since they had found him and pretty much adopted him. They'd given him food, clothes, and shelter, not to mention their watchful eyes as he healed and even their friendship.

He'd never had a real family before and it was weird getting used to someone looking out for him. He had his unit back at Manticore, but they weren't close like Max's unit. Joshua and Max had been his friends in Seattle, but Max could hardly stand to have him around and who knew where either of them had ended up. Now he had two people who wanted to know him and wanted him to stick around.

They were kind of being overprotective with him though. He knew he was pretty much healed, but they insisted on taking it easy until they were completely sure he was fine. He was ready to start hunting; Sam and Dean told him as much as they could and he was ready to actually see some action.

As he got closer, he could hear Sam and Dean talking to each other; he was going to have to tell them sooner or later how good his hearing was…and his eyesight, how fast he could go, how high he could jump, the list went on and on.

"I found something in Colorado I think…" Sam mumbled, his voice was kind of muffled through the door.

"What is it?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Looks like a spirit…should be pretty easy."

"Good. A simple salt and burn will be a good first hunt for him."

"Let's just hope it's simple…"

Alec smiled; he was finally going to get to hunt.

"You think he's ready?" Dean asked and Alec's hopes started to fade.

"Yeah, his knee looks pretty good. Besides, I don't think he's going to wait around much longer."

'He's got that right,' Alec thought to himself and he decided it was time to get a move on as he opened the door.

Sam and Dean looked up at his arrival.

"So, you ready to go on a hunt?" Dean asked with a smile.

"Been ready, just waiting on you two to find one," Alec replied.

"I think we're the ones waiting on you and your bum knee," Dean shot back.

Sam sighed, "Guys, let's get back on track. People to save and monsters to kill, so let's try and focus."

"Right," Dean clapped his hands once, "How do you feel about Colorado?"

"Never been," Alec answered, but he decided it was time to come clean. "But…I think a simple salt and burn will be a good first hunt…"

Dean's eyes narrowed at his use of his own words from a few minutes ago, "How'd you know that?"

Alec hesitated; he was about to expose how different he actually was. "A few perks came with my gene cocktail…"

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Well…heightened senses, I can jump really high and run really fast, but I have a faster metabolism so I eat a lot-"

"We've noticed that one," Dean mumbled.

"I also have really good reflexes…you might say, cat like reflexes," Alec said with a smirk.

Dean chuckled, but Sam just rolled his eyes and asked, "So you've heard just about every conversation we've had?"

Alec nodded, "Yeah, any conversation you've had in this room and I was nearby, and conscious, then I heard you. Also…Dean, you snore and Sam, you sometimes talk in your sleep."

Dean shook his head, but he was still smiling, "Alright, now that we know to text our secret messages, you want to know about this hunt?"

Alec smiled and nodded so Sam jumped in, "Archibald Taylor died in the Mountains in Colorado about 20 years ago. He lived alone out in the woods; the reports say when his wife died he locked himself in his house and wouldn't let anyone in, not even his son. Now, anyone who steps foot in the house doesn't make it out alive. Two weeks ago three guys were messing around near the house and the cops found their bodies last week."

"So our job is to find Archie's bones and then salt and burn them," Dean said.

"Sounds easy enough…" Alec muttered.

"That's what you say now; just wait until we really get into the research, that's the worst part…" Dean said under his breath.

* * *

Dean drove most of the way, but Sam didn't complain. He was surprised that Alec didn't ask if he could drive, but he never even mentioned it. He wasn't quiet though, in fact he never stopped talking. He asked a million questions, but they always jumped around. He asked about hunting, their childhood, where Dean got his car, what states they'd been to, what they knew about Christmas, what kind of weapons they had…the list went on and on.

He and Dean answered every question that Alec could think of. Sam wanted to ask his own questions, but decided they could wait until Alec ran out of questions.

They finally made it to Colorado, but they weren't in the town near where Archibald had lived. They were going to stop for the night and even though Dean was probably tired from driving, Sam knew he would want to stop for a drink.

"What are we doing?" Alec asked when Dean pulled into a bar's parking lot.

"We're getting a drink before Sam cracks down on research," Dean replied.

Sam suddenly turned around and studied Alec, who just raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

"How old are you, anyway?" Sam asked. They hadn't asked him and Sam was just guessing how old he was.

Alec thought a moment and then shrugged, "Not sure exactly, but around 20 or 21…"

"You don't know for sure?" Dean asked in surprise.

"Nope, Manticore didn't really celebrate birthdays…how do those work?"

"What? Birthdays?" Dean asked, confused.

Sam groaned, "C'mon, we'll explain birthdays later."

Sam got out of the Impala and started for the bar. He didn't wait for Dean or Alec, but they caught up to him a moment later already talking about something else.

"You ever play pool before?" Dean asked Alec as they walked inside.

Alec shook his head, "What's pool?"

Dean's eyes widened, "So much to teach you…Sam you go get us a round and I'll start teaching."

Sam smiled; he knew Dean loved teaching how to play pool. He'd taught Sam how to play when they were kids and now he was going to do it again. Besides, if Alec knew how to play, then Dean would have one more person he could play against when they stopped places.

Dean was showing Alec how to hold the cue when Sam walked over with three glasses of beer. Sam watched as Dean patiently taught Alec how to break and taught him the rules of the game. Alec wasn't bad; he picked up on the game pretty fast and he had some natural talent that Sam could already see.

The three of them played a few games, but both he and Dean took it easy on Alec.

"Can I break this round?" Alec asked once they were ready to start a new game.

"Sure thing kid," Dean answered easily.

Alec smiled and lined up his shot; he hit it just right and sunk three balls in off of the break. Alec's grin widened as he lined up another shot and made that one too. Sam looked at Dean and saw that Dean was just as surprised as he was.

Alec made shot after shot until he cleared the table. After the last shot, Alec stood up and looked at Sam and Dean and smiled.

"You hustled us!?" Dean asked in shock.

Alec nodded and Dean walked over to him, but he was trying to hide a smile so Sam knew he wasn't mad.

"You're gonna regret that!" Dean said as he hooked his arm around Alec's neck and messed up Alec's hair.

Alec laughed and managed to wiggle his way free, "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?"

"You get the sofa tonight…and you're going with Sam tomorrow if we have to split up," Dean replied with a gleam in his eyes.

"Hey! Research isn't that bad…" Sam said defensively.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Just wait until tomorrow, you'll see…"

* * *

_More soon..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone, sorry for the delay. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I hope this chapter won't be too boring, but I needed to set some things up. Also, Edwin Nigma I was already planning on exploring that, but I won't say any more ;)._

* * *

They all woke up bright and early, although Dean had his suspicions that Alec hadn't slept at all. It didn't take them long to pack all their gear and get to Buena Vista, Colorado. Archibald had lived in the mountains and Buena Vista was the closest to his house and his son was a policeman there.

The plan was to send Sam and Alec to the Library to find what they could while he went to find the guy's son, but first they needed to find breakfast. Dean pulled into the first diner he saw and cut the engine. It was just an average diner, but Dean didn't care, he just wanted some coffee and maybe some pancakes.

A middle aged woman walked over to them as soon as they walked in. She was a short woman with bright red, curly hair and her nametag said Kathy, "Hey boys, table or a booth?"

"Booth is fine," Dean answered with a smile.

"Right this way," Kathy said as she led them through a maze of tables until she reached an empty booth. "Something I can start you out with?"

"I'll have a coffee, black," Dean instantly replied as he slid into the side of the booth that was facing the door.

"I'll have the same, but with some cream," Sam said next and he sat on the opposite side.

"I'll take a glass of milk," Alec replied last and he sat by Sam.

"Alright, two coffees, one with cream, and a glass of milk. Anything else?" Kathy read off quickly.

"No, we're good for now, thanks," Sam replied and Kathy walked away.

Dean leaned back against the window and draped his arm across the back of the seat. "Alec, I have a question…"

Alec's eyes shot up to meet his, "What is it?"

"What's up with the barcode tattooed on the back of your neck?" Dean asked and Sam looked over at Alec with curiosity.

Alec shifted in his seat and looked out the window; he was clearly uncomfortable with the question. "It's my designation…X5-494. Everyone at Manticore has one; we were just soldiers so we didn't need names."

"They trained you as a kid, didn't they?" Dean asked quietly.

Alec nodded, "I was already on missions by the time I was around eight," Alec cleared his throat, "But you guys never told me about birthdays…"

Dean backed off and let Sam answer; he knew Alec was afraid of freaking them out by telling them how he was raised. They would let him take his time opening up to them; he wasn't used to people listening to him without judgment and Dean understood how it was tough to be different.

Kathy brought their drinks over and took their order for some food. Alec asked more questions about different holidays, but he didn't ask as many as before and he stopped talking altogether once their food arrived.

Dean glanced up when the door to the diner opened and a middle aged police officer came in and sat on an open stool. He had short, light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that took in his surroundings in an instant. Dean studied him for a minute and then decided to wave Kathy over.

"Need somethin' honey?" Kathy asked Dean, and Sam and Alec looked up in surprise.

Dean nodded and looked toward the cop, "Do you know who that is?"

Kathy glanced behind her and then back, "I do, that's Officer Taylor."

"Taylor…that name sounds familiar…" Dean replied.

"Archibald Taylor's old house was where those three boys were found, but you already knew that, otherwise you wouldn't have pointed out Vince over there," Kathy stated with a stern look.

Dean tried his best to look ashamed, "We were just curious…"

"What are you three plannin' on doing out here, anyway?" Kathy asked suddenly.

"We were going to go hiking," Sam answered.

Kathy looked back toward the kitchen, "Alright, scoot over." She gestured for Dean to move and once he did, she sat down. "I want you three to listen very closely. Do not get in the way of Vince or his two boys, do you understand?"

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked softly.

"I just know that it doesn't turn out so well for the people who cross them," Kathy whispered.

"What happened to those three guys?" Alec asked suddenly.

"They went hiking; they were young like you boys and the same age as Taylor's boys. They didn't get along so well, but it was just a little rivalry. I'm not sure what happened, but those three went on a sudden trip up through the mountains. No one thought to look for them until they were gone for a whole week."

"Why did it take a whole week?" Dean asked.

"It's almost a two day hike to where they were planning on going, so we figured they would be gone five days. After they were gone six we thought they were just staying one extra night, but then they didn't come back at all…we're a small town, so everyone knew the boys," Kathy said with her eyes down.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how did they die?" Sam asked gently.

"That's where things get strange. All three of them knew how to swim, camp, hunt, and fish so they should have never died in the wild and there was no sign of an animal attack. One of them drowned, one was strangled, and one was shot," Kathy breathed out. "But no one knows how it happened…"

Dean didn't know how to comfort her, but luckily Sam always seemed to know what to say. "I'm so sorry; I know this must be difficult to talk about."

Kathy coughed a little, "I knew them since they were babies…that's why I'm telling you boys; I don't want to see the same thing happen to you." Kathy stood and smiled at them, "Be careful, and come back to see me sometime," and she walked away.

Dean studied Vince Taylor again, who was now deep in conversation with someone sitting next to him.

"Well, now we know more…" Sam said.

"Does this mean we don't have to go to the Library?" Alec asked hopefully.

"We still don't know where good ole Archie is buried," Dean said with a smirk and Sam looked at him with a small smile.

Dean glanced back at Taylor and saw that the other man was staring back at him. Dean met his gaze in a silent challenge until Taylor looked away.

* * *

Alec plopped down on the barstool next to Dean and groaned, "Research sucks! I thought preparing for an op was boring, but that, that was just torture!"

Sam and Dean both laughed. "It wasn't that bad, we found what we were looking for pretty fast," Sam defended.

"You call that fast! We looked all day and then all we figured out was that he was buried next to his wife out by their shed!"

"Well, at least you guys found out something useful…" Dean muttered and he gestured for the bartender to get them a round.

"Nothin?" Sam asked him.

"Small towns man…we're outsiders and can't be trusted so they won't tell us anything."

"So now what do we do?" Alec asked.

"We hike up to the house and burn the bones," Sam said.

"We won't leave until tomorrow," Dean stated.

They were in a bar in town, but since it was a Friday night it was pretty busy. There was a group playing pool and a couple of single women sitting by the bar that had caught Dean's eye.

"Alright, you two go win us some spending money, I'm going to go buy a girl a drink," Dean said as he stood up and walked over to the two women. He leaned right between them to talk to the bartender and he felt both of their gazes lock onto him.

"Can we help you with something?" One of the girls asked. She had dark, wavy hair that went past her shoulders and she looked him over once when he turned to face her.

"I just thought you ladies could use some drinks," Dean replied with a smile.

"I think we're good," The other girl replied; she had black hair that was cut at her chin.

Her friend gave her a sharp look, "I think Miranda means to say, we would love some."

"Wonderful," Dean said as the bartender set down some more drinks in front of the women.

Dean turned so he could see the pool tables and he could still talk to the women.

"So, do I get to know your name?" The girl asked after a moment.

"Only if I get to know yours first…"

"Julie, but you can call me Jules and that's Miranda," Julie said, but Miranda wasn't acknowledging either of them.

"I'm Dean; it's nice to meet you Jules."

"It's nice to meet you too Dean. What brings you to Buena Vista?"

"Just passing through," Dean replied, and he glanced over at Sam and Alec who were in the middle of a game with two other men.

"Your brothers should be careful…" Jules said, also looking at the pool tables.

Dean looked back at her, "Why?"

"They're playing against the Taylors…they don't like to lose…" Julie stated. Dean looked closer at the two men and saw that they had the same light, blonde hair and blue eyes.

"And you probably shouldn't be talking to Julie, either," Miranda suddenly said.

Dean snapped his focus to Miranda and raised his eyebrows in a question.

"Cody Taylor is in love with her and won't let someone like you talk to her," Miranda said simply.

He looked back to Julie to see that she was avoiding his gaze. Her eyes suddenly widened and there was a crash of breaking glass. Dean was moving before he even knew what was going on.

Sam was on the ground; he was rubbing his head and there was a stream of blood running down his face. Alec punched one of the men across the jaw and he stumbled back against the wall. Alec turned to take down the other man, but Dean beat him to it and hit him with a right hook.

Dean moved to help Sam to his feet once the threat was gone, but Alec's voice stopped him. "Dean, I don't think the fight's over yet…"

Dean looked back at the bar and saw that Alec was right. They were backed into a corner and every man in the bar looked ready to fight them.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec scanned the bar and counted how many were against them. There were 20 men, at least, ready to fight the two of them. He picked out the ones that would be the biggest threat, who would have weapons, and which ones would back off and marked where they were for later.

He didn't know if he should count Sam or not, but either way he was going to have to keep an eye on him. At his best he couldn't even take on 20 men at once, but this time he had to watch out for Sam and Dean.

"How do you wanna play this?" Alec muttered to Dean.

Dean pulled Sam to his feet and put his hand against his chest to steady him. "We're leaving and if anyone tries to stop us, take them down."

Alec nodded and stepped closer to Sam and Dean. They slowly walked towards the exit, but that brought them closer to the rest of the men. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a bottle get thrown right at Dean. Moving faster than normal people could see, Alec darted over and caught the bottle before it could do any damage. Everyone stopped and stared when he caught the bottle in midair.

He tossed the bottle aside and it crashed to the floor. The sound seemed to break everyone free from whatever had kept them still and they all started moving at the same time.

Alec easily took down two guys before one of the men got past him and headed for Dean. He watched to make sure that Sam and Dean would be ok, but that distraction cost him. He took a punch to his jaw and another to his side. Two men grabbed him and started to push him to the wall. He used an old trick; he went completely limp and collapsed to the floor. The two men weren't expecting him to collapse and they fell to the ground with him. He was a lot more agile than they were and he jumped right back to his feet.

He glanced over at Dean and saw that he had a good number of men down around him. Not only was Dean holding his own in the fight, but Sam had taken on a few men himself; Alec was impressed, but there were more coming at them.

Alec kicked back another guy and hit a knife out of someone else's hand. He heard Dean take a sharp breath and he saw Dean take a step back and hold his side. Sam stepped up before Alec could get there and took the guy down which gave Dean enough time to regain his breath.

They were making slow progress to the door, but there were still men to go through and some of the ones they had already taken down were coming back for more.

Alec took a hard kick to the chest and stumbled backwards, but he managed to stay on his feet. He looked to see where his assailant was and saw that it was one of the Taylor's.

He dodged a punch and smirked at his opponent. Taylor punched again, but Alec caught his fist, twisted his arm behind his back, and pushed him against the wall. A second later he heard a click that made him freeze. He kept his hold on Taylor, but turned slightly to see the older Taylor pointing a gun right at Dean.

"Let him go," Taylor demanded.

"Drop the gun," Alec said back evenly. Dean had blood running from his nose and a cut above his eye, but he met Alec's eyes with confidence. Sam was watching Taylor closely to make sure he didn't pull the trigger on Dean. He was swaying slightly, but besides the cut from earlier he looked ok.

They were at a stalemate; Alec didn't want to give in until Taylor dropped the gun and Taylor wouldn't drop the gun until he gave in.

"Cody! Drop the gun," A girl yelled. Alec noticed it was the same girl that Dean had been talking to earlier.

"Stay out of this Julie," Cody threw out.

"No! You're acting like an idiot, now drop the gun before you hurt someone," Julie demanded.

"Cody, whatever you do, do it fast," The other Taylor grunted.

"Let my brother go," Cody demanded.

"Not until you drop the gun," Alec returned. He put a little more pressure on the younger Taylor's arm, making him stifle a cry of pain. Cody took a step towards them, but stopped at Alec's glare. Cody looked towards Dean and then shot a look towards the bar; Alec knew he was about to give in.

"You're going to regret this," Cody hissed out, but he lowered the gun and stepped back. Alec released his brother and moved to where Sam and Dean were. There was complete silence in the bar and nobody looked ready to start the fight back up.

"We'll just be going now…" Dean said, and he grabbed Sam's sleeve and headed for the door.

Alec kept his eyes on Cody, but followed Sam and Dean outside. Nobody moved to follow them and the door shut behind Alec, but he nearly ran into Sam's back once they were outside.

Alec looked over Sam's shoulder to see what the holdup was; there was a policeman standing, waiting for them.

"Evenin' officer," Dean greeted casually.

"Evenin' boys. Everything ok here?" The officer asked.

"Yeah, we were just leaving," Dean stated.

"I think you boys better come with me," The officer said as he took a step into the light; it was Vince Taylor.

"I think we'd rather just get out of town…"

Alec suddenly heard a pair of footsteps coming from around the back of the building. Cody and his brother appeared around the corner and walked closer to them.

"Cody, Nathan, are you two ok?" Vince asked.

"We're good," Cody answered, but Alec could see Nathan rubbing his arm.

"I think it's time for a drive," Vince said with a smile. "Keep an eye on them; I've got to radio this in."

Vince turned to his car, but Cody stepped closer to them with his gun held loosely at his side. "You should have never messed with us."

"We can't help it you're not very good at pool," Dean replied with a smirk.

Cody started to life his gun, but Nathan put a hand on his arm to stop him and whispered, "Just wait, you know we can't do anything yet." Cody glared at his brother, but lowered his gun.

Vince walked back to them rubbing his hands together and smiling. "Now which one of you wants to ride in the cruiser?"

Alec shot a glance at Dean, but he was glaring at the older man. "We'll leave town, but we're not going with you."

"Son, you don't have a choice," Vince stated and he pulled his gun out and pointed it at Sam.

Dean seemed to deflate a little in defeat and Vince smiled again. "Alright, you're coming with me," He said, still pointing at Sam.

Sam brushed past Alec but whispered, "Don't let him do anything stupid," before he walked over to the police cruiser and got in the backseat.

Cody and Nathan walked them over to the Impala where Cody sat shotgun and Alec and Nathan sat in the back.

"Where are we heading?" Dean asked once they were on the road and following Vince.

"We're just going to take a little hike up through the woods," Cody said with a smirk.

Alec couldn't do anything with Cody pointing his gun at Dean or with Sam in a completely different car. They were just going to have to try and lose these guys in the woods. Alec had a feeling though, that they were already being taken to the house that had brought them there in the first place.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam tried his hardest not to fidget in the backseat, but he couldn't stop worrying that Dean was going to do something to get himself killed. He just had to hope that Alec would be able to keep Dean in line.

"You might as well relax, it's going to be awhile before we get where we're going," Vince's voice startled Sam out of his thoughts.

"I thought it was a two day hike to your Dad's house…" Sam muttered.

Vince glanced at Sam in the rearview mirror, "It is if you start at the trailhead, but we're not starting there. The road to the house is mostly in tack, there's just a section that was washed away by a flood. Once we reach that part we have to walk, but it's only a few hours from there."

Sam didn't answer so Vince continued, "I am looking forward to adding your brother's car to my collection…"

Sam glared at the older man; if he wasn't stuck in the backseat he would have hit him. "You're sick, you know that? You take people you don't like up here and let something else do your dirty work."

Vince smiled and it made Sam's stomach turn. "So you do believe in ghosts, wonderful! Is that what brought you here? It always amazes me, the number of people that actually believe."

"How many people have you brought here to kill?" Sam asked in disgust.

"More than you would think. People know to not mess with me or my family…"

Sam hated this man; he brought people to their deaths just because they disagreed with him or with one of his sons, and now they were next.

"My father was an idiot; he let everyone walk all over him, including my mother. One day though, he'd had enough of her telling him what to do, and he snapped. He killed her, but told everyone that she'd drowned. I tried to go back, but he wouldn't let me in; said I was just as bad as her and he never wanted to see me again. It wasn't a week later and he died. The reports said he shot himself, but there was no way it was suicide. He was shot in the chest and there were signs that he had been strangled."

Sam listened to everything Vince said to try and figure out what they were dealing with.

"I buried him next to my mother just to spite him. I didn't care if he killed himself or not at the time, I only cared that he was dead. He deserved what he got, for killing my mother…I never wanted to be like him; I never let anyone tell me what to do and look where I am now."

"A pycho with too much power…what a great role model," Sam answered sarcastically.

Vince's sharp eyes focused on him again and a shiver almost went through him with the intensity of the stare.

"You act brave now, but just wait until you're staring death in the face. Your blood will turn to ice and you will try and run, but you won't make it out; no one ever has…"

* * *

They were in the middle of the woods when they stopped and Sam saw that they were where the road had washed out. Vince opened the back door, but as soon as he was standing Vince turned him around and cuffed his hands behind his back. He let out a huff of air, but he didn't fight or try to stop Vince.

The Impala rumbled up beside them and Sam could see Dean's frown as he turned off the engine and stepped from the car. Dean and Alec were both cuffed like Sam was before the three Taylor's started to lead them through the woods.

Sam trailed back until he was closer to Dean and Alec and whispered, "There could be two ghosts. Vince's father killed his mother and then I think she came back and killed him, but I'm not sure…"

"What are they going to do with us?" Dean asked quietly.

"Toss us inside and let the ghosts kill us," Sam muttered.

"You think they'll just leave after they throw us inside?" Dean asked doubtfully.

Sam shook his head, "No, but he seems pretty sure that the ghosts will take care of us…"

"Are we going to make a break for it?" Alec asked after a moment.

Sam looked to Dean and he replied, "Not yet…they're already taking us where we need to go, but if things start to go south we'll make a move…"

"How are we going to dig up the bones? We don't have any supplies or weapons…" Sam said in concern.

"We'll figure it out. If we have to, we'll come back after we throw these guys off," Dean replied.

"That's another thing," Sam started, but his voice was even quieter now. "What are we going to do with them? They're the ones bringing people up here to die and I don't think they're going to stop even once the ghosts are gone…"

"Let's just see how this plays out; if we have to, we'll get the authorities involved," Dean reassured and Sam nodded his approval.

* * *

It was a long walk and since his hands were behind his back, it was difficult to keep his balance. Sam saw that Dean was having similar problems, but Alec seemed to be walking just fine, his DNA must help with balance too. The Taylor's left them alone for the most part, but they only let them stop a few times to rest. It had been almost morning by the time they left the bar and now it was getting close to evening again.

"I thought you said it would only take a few hours?" Sam asked at one of their few stops.

Vince smiled, "I thought we'd take the scenic route."

Dean rolled his eyes, "That was so nice of you, but can we get on with it already; the suspense is killing me."

Alec chuckled, but Sam watched Vince carefully; he didn't want one of Dean's remarks to set him off.

"You seem eager to face your death…should I speed it up for you?" Vince stepped toward Dean and pointed his gun at his chest. Sam and Alec both started to move, but Nathan and Cody held them back.

Dean stared back at Vince evenly, "If you were going to shoot us, you would have done it already."

"How can you be so sure?" Vince asked with his lips curved in a snarl.

"It's easier to just have us walk there instead of dragging dead bodies all the way up the mountain," Dean stated.

It was silent for a minute until Vince broke out laughing. "You have a good point there. It would take more work to drag you to the house," Vince said as he put his gun away.

Sam let out his breath in relief. He walked over to Dean once they started moving again. "Could you not get yourself killed before we get there?"

Dean shot him a cocky smile, "I knew he wasn't going to shoot me."

"He's insane Dean, he might just shoot you for no reason at all!"

"Yeah, but I just gave him one good reason not to shoot me," Dean replied seriously.

Sam didn't have anything to say to that; he'd underestimated Dean. He knew Vince was crazy and could kill them at any minute, but Dean had found a way to get them to where they needed to be.

* * *

It was dark by the time they reached the house. It was run down with age, but Sam could imagine how beautiful it had once been with the river running beside it. It was a one story house with a porch wrapped around the front and the shed was off to the side.

Vince stopped at the porch and looked at each of them in turn. "Alright, let's have the youngest go first," he said as he reached out and grabbed Alec's shoulder. Alec didn't know how to deal with a ghost, and Sam and Dean knew they needed to be in there first.

Sam and Dean both moved. Cody grabbed Dean, but he threw him off and stood in front of Vince. "Let me go first. Please."

Vince considered him, but then pushed Alec toward the door. Dean took another step forward, but a shot rang out. A bullet tore through Dean's shoulder and made him stumble forward. Sam saw red when he saw that it was Cody who had shot Dean and he charged at the man.

His hands were still behind his back, but he plowed into Cody with his shoulder and knocked them both to the ground. Sam's surprise attack had knocked the wind out of Cody and had given him the upper hand. He got to his feet and kicked Cody in the face to knock him out.

Sam turned and saw that Alec had managed to get his handcuffs off and had taken out Nathan. He had Nathan's gun pointed at Vince, but Vince had his gun pointed at Dean's head.

Alec held his position as Sam stepped up beside him. Vince roughly drug Dean to his feet and Sam didn't miss Dean's wince of pain. He pulled Dean with him as he walked up the porch steps.

"The three of you have been more trouble than I thought, but your time is up. If you want him, you'll have to come in after him," Vince said; his eyes were wide with insanity.

Vince walked through the front door with Dean in tow. As soon as they were through the door, Alec lowered his gun and quickly picked the lock on Sam's handcuffs. They didn't waste any time to run in after Dean.

* * *

_Hope you guys still like it, I should be able to post another chapter soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

_So I finished this chapter faster than I thought, enjoy!_

* * *

Dean fought to stay conscious as he was forced into the kitchen. Vince had a strong hold on his injured shoulder and all Dean could do was try and keep up. He saw Sam and Alec run through the doorway, but they had to dive out of the way when Vince shot at them.

He couldn't stand to see one of them shot because of him. Vince took aim again at Sam, but Dean elbowed him in the gut to throw off his aim. Sam rolled out of the way and the shot missed. Alec ran up behind Vince and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hand.

Alec was thrown back by an invisible force and he crashed into the China cabinet. Dean tackled Vince to the ground; he had to ignore the stab of pain that went through his shoulder. Sam came over and quickly punched Vince out.

Sam helped him slowly get to his feet and unlocked his handcuffs. "C'mon, we need to find some salt…"

Sam started checking the cabinets while Dean went over to Alec. He was just starting to come around when Dean reached him. Dean helped pull him to his feet and asked, "You alright?"

Glass fell with a soft clatter when Alec stood, but he nodded and asked Dean, "Are you?"

"I'm fine. We need to find some salt and get out of here…" Dean muttered.

Alec blurred and started checking each cabinet as fast as he could. Dean watched in amazement at how fast Alec could actually go.

"Found it," Alec said after only a moment of looking. He held out an entire container of salt and handed it to Sam, who immediately started salting the doors and windows. Dean started looking for anything that was made of iron to use as a weapon, but the kitchen was almost completely empty.

Sam was almost done when a woman appeared in front of him. She shrieked and pushed Sam up against the wall. She wrapped her hands around his throat and he struggled to break free. Alec ran over to try and free him, but he was again thrown off his feet and into the wall. He hit the wall hard and crumbled to the floor.

Dean searched Vince to try and find anything of use and found what looked like an old iron key. He picked it up and threw it through the woman holding Sam. She disappeared with another shriek and Sam collapsed to the floor coughing.

Dean ran over and grabbed the key and salt and then crouched down next to Sam, "You alright?" Sam could only nod as he tried to force air into his lungs.

Alec staggered over to them, "You know, this whole getting thrown into crap is getting old…"

"Welcome to hunting," Dean replied with a small smile.

"What did you throw at her to make her go away?" Alec asked and Sam looked up with curiosity.

Dean held out the little key and showed it to Sam and Alec. "I found it on Vince, but I don't know what it's for…"

"It's to the old shed out back," Vince's voice made all three of them turn their heads up in surprise. Vince was pointing his gun at them again and Dean was getting tired of it.

Dean turned to Sam, "Why do we never think to take the gun?"

Sam scowled at Dean, but he didn't answer.

"This is just how I remembered…" Vince muttered as he looked around the room.

Sam, Dean, and Alec shared a look of confusion and Alec asked, "Have you not been inside recently?"

Vince looked out the window with a vague expression. "No…I haven't been inside since before my mother died." He seemed to remember he wasn't alone and he focused on them again. "I thought it would be bad luck to come inside."

Vince wandered closer to them, but stopped and looked past them. "Hello mother…"

Dean turned his head and saw that the woman who had been choking Sam was standing in the doorway looking at her son. She moved her mouth, but she only gurgled and water poured out.

"I know he killed you mother," Vince said to the woman.

The woman shrieked and they all jumped at the sound. Vince spun around and there was Archibald Taylor. He had a hole through his chest and marks on his neck, but he only looked at the woman.

Dean pulled Sam to his feet and he, Sam, and Alec all backed away toward the exit. Archibald's stare snapped to them and they were thrown off their feet through the doorway. Dean struggled to regain his feet, but he managed it and quickly looked into the kitchen.

Ghosts were pouring into the room; there were so many that Dean could barely see Vince anymore. The ghosts were old and young and they were all surrounding Vince. They were all the victims that had been killed in this house and now their killer was here for them to exact their revenge.

Dean quickly salted where Sam had stopped to trap all of the ghosts in the kitchen. He had just finished when Vince's screams filled the air.

Alec grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the door and Sam followed them outside. Cody and Nathan were still out cold on the ground and Dean was silently glad they hadn't heard their father's death.

Dean spotted the handcuffs that had been on Sam and Alec and he brought them over to the remaining Taylors. He quickly handcuffed their hands behind their backs and then he picked up Cody's feet and started to drag him closer to the shed. Sam came over to help since he knew this was straining his shoulder, while Alec pulled Nathan over.

Dean used the old key to unlock the shed and pushed the old doors open. There were shovels, ropes, gasoline, a small boat, fishing rods, and tackle boxes crowding the shed. Dean smiled at finally having some luck in this case. He grabbed one shovel and handed it to Alec, but Sam grabbed the other one before he could. Dean frowned, but just decided to grab the gasoline instead.

They found the two graves easily enough and Alec and Sam set to work digging.

"What do you think we should do about all the other ghosts?" Dean asked after a few minutes.

"Maybe they'll have enough closure now that they'll move on…" Sam answered in between shovelfuls of dirt.

Dean looked back at the house and muttered, "Maybe…"

"We could just torch the house," Alec said, and Dean could hear the small smile in his voice.

Sam nodded, considering Alec's option, "If there's no house, then there's nothing they can haunt…"

"Alright, we'll burn these two and then we'll take out the house," Dean answered.

They made quick work of the graves and then they went inside and poured gasoline on the floors. The sun was rising when they were finally finished with it all. Cody and Nathan woke up after they were done and looked at the three of them in surprise.

"What happened?" Nathan asked quietly.

"Your Dad took us in there and then was killed by everyone you've ever brought here," Dean stated.

"What!? You're lying!" Cody shouted in anger.

"Your operation is over and your Dad is dead," Sam said firmly.

There was silence and then Nathan asked in a small voice, "What are you going to do with us?"

"We're taking you back with us and then you're going to jail," Dean replied.

The two brothers stayed silent after that and Dean had a chance to check on Sam and Alec.

He walked over to his little brother and frowned at seeing the dried blood down his face; he'd forgotten about the bar fight earlier.

"How's your head?" Dean asked as he tilted Sam's head a little so he could see the cut. It wasn't terrible, but it probably needed stitches.

"I'm fine Dean," Sam replied in exasperation. He studied Dean closely and then inspected his bullet wound. "Looks like it was a clean shot…shouldn't be too hard to patch up once we get back."

Dean nodded, he'd already reached that conclusion himself, but he knew Sam would want to check anyway.

Alec was sitting over by the river and Dean walked over and sat next to him. "What'd you think about your first hunt?"

"Are they always that complicated?" Alec asked after a moment.

Dean gave out a little huff of a laugh, "No, they aren't always that bad…usually they're pretty easy…"

"How's your shoulder?" Alec asked lightly; he must have seen Sam already check him over.

"I'll live…how about you; you took some hard hits in there…" Dean asked in concern. Alec for some reason looked a little off, but Dean didn't think it was from getting thrown into a wall.

Alec waved him off and replied, "I'm alright…"

Dean didn't quite believe him, but they needed to get out of there so he let it go for now. He stood up and looked down at Alec and asked, "You ready to go?"

Alec nodded and pushed himself to his feet, but a tremor went through him and Dean had to reach out and catch him. His eyes were wide with panic and his arms were shaking. "Alec! What's wrong?"

"N-n-no, t-this can't-t be hap-pening…" Alec stuttered out.

"What's going on? C'mon Alec, talk to me," Dean urged with worry.

Alec opened his mouth to reply, but then he collapsed and Dean didn't have the strength to keep him up. Alec was shaking uncontrollably in what Dean knew was a seizure.


	6. Chapter 6

Alec was still shaking when he regained consciousness. He couldn't really remember what had happened; he knew he'd had a seizure, which is why he was on the ground, but something soft was cushioning his head. Sam and Dean's worried voices reached him a moment later and he stopped trying to figure out what was going on.

"What happened?" Sam's voice was slightly breathless from running over to them.

"He just started seizing and I couldn't hold him up…I think he might have hit his head on something…" Dean's voice was full of guilt and Alec wished he could reassure the older man, but he couldn't force his eyes open.

"How long?" Sam asked.

"It only lasted a minute, but he's still shaking a little…"

A hand lightly landed on his chest and then Sam spoke quietly, "Alec, we need you to wake up…you gotta tell us what's going on so we can fix it."

Alec finally managed to open his eyes a crack, but the world was spinning and he couldn't stop the small groan from escaping his lips.

"He's waking up," Dean said in relief and Sam patted his chest once in reassurance.

Alec forced his eyes the rest of the way open and saw that Sam was hovering over him with his face pinched in worry. He couldn't see Dean, which was odd since his voice had sounded as close as Sam's had been.

"Where's Dean?" Alec managed to croak out and Sam's gaze moved from his to somewhere above him that he couldn't see.

"I'm right here kiddo," Dean reassured and his face suddenly appeared upside down. Alec finally figured out that his head was being cushioned by Dean's leg and the embarrassment of this situation hit him.

He struggled to sit up, but Sam gently pushed him back down. "Easy…why don't you just tell us what's going on."

"There's a glitch in some of the X-series…I didn't think I had it, but it causes seizures," Alec tried to explain; his voice shook in time with his body, but Sam and Dean seemed to understand him. He didn't know much about it since anyone who'd had the glitch was taken away and never seen again, but he knew enough about it from Max.

She had thought he had the glitch one day at Jam Pony since his hands shook a little when he handed her a package. Her eyes had widened and she'd pulled him off to the side and forced him to sit down. He hadn't argued with her since he could feel the panic pouring off of her; he held out his hand and took the offered pills from her.

"How do you stop them?" Dean asked, bringing Alec back to the present. He had to think back to the pills that Max had given him.

"Tryptophan…Max took some tryptophan pills to keep the seizures off," Alec replied; finally thinking of the kind of pills Max had.

Dean didn't say anything, but Sam's eyebrows had drawn together in thought. "Isn't tryptophan in milk?"

Dean shot Sam an incredulous look, "How do you even know that?" But Sam just shrugged.

"Yeah, it is..." Alec answered.

"How come you didn't know you had the glitch?" Dean asked in concern.

Alec thought for a moment, "At Manticore they kept us on a strict diet. Each series seemed to have something that they needed to stay alive; the X-5's drank a lot of milk…Even when we went on missions, they sent a pack of pills in case we didn't get back to base in time. They never explained what would happen if we didn't take the pills or drink the milk…I'd never even thought about it before."

"But if you've been out of Manticore for over a year, why didn't the seizures start sooner?" Sam asked.

"Since I've been drinking milk all my life I like it, so I drink a lot of it," Alec said with a small smile. "But it's been a few days since I've had any and I don't drink it like I used to…"

A strong tremor shot through him and he had to close his eyes against the pain. He didn't see Sam and Dean exchange a worried look, but somehow he knew they had and he opened his eyes again to reassure them that he was ok.

"Alright, we need to get you off this mountain," Dean suddenly stated and he gently eased him up to a sitting position.

Sam was still crouched in front of him; he grabbed his hand and met his eyes and asked, "You ready?"

Alec nodded and Sam and Dean managed to get him to his feet. His legs were wobbly and he had to lean against Sam, but it was better than the ground. He was shaking pretty badly and he wasn't sure how far he would make it before falling down, but he wasn't about to tell Sam or Dean that.

Dean met his eyes and said, "If you need to stop, you let us know ok?"

Alec nodded, but he made to stand on his own without Sam's support. He swayed a little, but he stayed standing.

Dean went to get Cody and Nathan moving toward the car, but Sam stayed by his side to make sure he didn't need any help.

It was annoyingly slow for him to walk through the woods and down the mountain. His legs didn't want to cooperate and he stumbled and fell every few feet. Sam tried to catch him before he fell, but he wasn't always fast enough to stop him from hitting the ground. His muscles felt like jelly and they were still seizing which was just making things more difficult.

"Alec, just let me help you," Sam pleaded with him again. He was on the ground again and Sam had been trying to help him ever since they had left the river.

"N-n-no," Alec stubbornly replied; he had to be able to do this by himself.

He hadn't noticed that Dean had stopped and was walking over to them.

"Sam, you keep an eye on those two…" Dean said as he helped Alec to his feet.

"I don't-t n-need help," Alec stuttered as he tried to push Dean away from him.

"Alec, I don't want to be mean, but Sam was babying you; you do need help. We're never going to get to the car at this rate and you're just hurting yourself more by not accepting any," Dean stated.

He didn't want to admit it, but Dean was right; he needed help and he needed to let his pride go. He started to sway, but Dean pulled his arm across his shoulders and walked with him. It was still slow going, but at least he wasn't falling anymore.

* * *

Sam had tried to walk slowly so Dean and Alec could keep up, but his long legs wouldn't allow it. He kept Cody and Nathan in front of him, but they didn't try anything or even speak during their walk.

"Sam!" Dean called out from a ways behind him. He turned Cody and Nathan so they would walk back to where Dean and Alec were. He ran up and saw that Alec was having another full out seizure.

"He's getting worse," Dean said as soon as he saw Sam approach.

"We're almost to the car," Sam said quietly.

"What happens if we don't get him the medicine in time?" Dean asked, but he wasn't really expecting an answer.

"Dean, we'll get it in time…look, the seizure looks like it's almost over," Sam reassured.

"I can't carry him," Dean said after a moment with his head down.

"I got him," Sam replied as he carefully lifted Alec in his arms. He was lighter than Sam expected, but then again he was smaller than Dean, even if he was mainly muscle.

When the Impala came into view, Sam thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful. Alec still hadn't woken up and his muscles were still seizing every so often. Dean already had Cody and Nathan in the backseat so Sam took Alec to the passenger seat. He carefully put Alec in the front and then he got in the back to keep an eye on the other two.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked once Dean was on the road headed back to town.

"I think I know someone who can help us…" Dean replied hopefully.

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_Ending coming soon..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Alright, here's the ending! I hope you all liked it! I really enjoyed writing it and thank you all for reading it! I am planning on writing another one, so stay tuned!_

* * *

Dean drove as fast as he could down the winding road to town. He kept shooting worried glances over at Alec who was slumped over in the passenger seat, his body constantly shaking. Dean had to keep pulling Alec over so he didn't hit his head on the window with all of his shaking.

He wished that Alec would wake up and give them some snarky comment to ease their worry, or even complain about all the attention they were giving him. But his eyes remained closed and Dean's concern only grew as the miles flew by.

He'd gotten used to Alec keeping things light even though he'd only been with them a little while. He already thought of Alec as another little brother that he had to look after, but this was something he couldn't protect against. He could try to prevent it from now on, but there would always be that chance that Alec could suddenly be hit by the seizures.

Alec made a small sound of pain that had Dean looking over so fast he almost got whiplash.

"Alec?" Sam asked quietly from the back.

"I'm alright," Alec replied, but his voice was barely above a whisper.

"We're almost to town," Dean said in a soft voice and Alec only nodded in response.

It was evening again by the time Dean made it to the nearly empty parking lot of the Diner. He told Sam to stay in the car and then he jogged up to the door. There weren't many customers inside, but Dean was still looking for someone in particular.

He finally saw the bounce of red hair in the kitchen and then Kathy was walking toward him. Her eyes lit up in recognition and then narrowed in concern at the state he was in. His clothes were filthy, he had bruises on his face from the bar fight, and there was blood coating his jacket from the bullet wound in his shoulder.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" Kathy whispered in reprimand once she got closer to him.

"I can't explain right now, but we need your help and if possible a to-go cup of milk…" Dean said in a rush.

Kathy looked around the Diner and then turned back to Dean, "Alright, stay here." She walked back to the kitchen and came back to stand by Dean a moment later with a travel cup of milk. "I get off in 5 minutes and then you can follow me to my house."

Dean nodded and then ran back out to the Impala. He shot Sam a look so he wouldn't ask any questions while Cody and Nathan were in the car, then turned to Alec.

"Alec, I have some milk for ya," Dean said as he shook Alec's shoulder.

Alec blinked up at him with bleary eyes and held out a shaking hand to grab the milk. Dean passed the cup over, but he kept his hand close by in case the cup slipped.

Alec drained the cup and then leaned back in exhaustion. Dean knew the feeling, but he couldn't let the exhaustion wash over him yet, he still had things he needed to do.

Kathy pulled around a few minutes later and Dean put the Impala in gear to follow her. Luckily it was a short trip to Kathy's house and Dean hopped out as soon as he parked.

"Alright honey, you better tell me what's going on," Kathy stated.

Dean decided he would get right to it since he was tired and he wanted to get Sam and Alec taken care of as soon as possible. "Vince Taylor is dead and we have his two boys in the back of our car. We don't have any proof that they're the ones responsible for all the deaths, but they are. You have to believe me."

"Slow down, Vince Taylor is dead?" Kathy asked in shock.

"Yes."

Kathy thought for a moment and then nodded, "Get your brothers and the Taylors inside and I'll take care of everything. You three are staying with me tonight and I won't take no for an answer."

Dean's mouth almost dropped open in shock; he'd never imagined getting that much help. "We really just needed help with the Taylors. I don't want to ask for more than that."

"Nonsense, you're hurt and I suspect that your brothers are hurt too," Kathy said in a knowing voice.

"I really just need to get Alec some medicine…we can do the rest ourselves," Dean tried one more time.

Kathy gave him a stern look, "Honey, I don't want to argue with you, but I will. Now, go get Alec and take him inside and me and your other brother-" "Sam" "-Sam, will take the Taylors inside."

Dean couldn't argue anymore so he went to the passenger door and opened it slowly so Alec wouldn't fall out. Sam got out and helped Kathy get Cody and Nathan inside.

Dean was just going to carry Alec inside, but he woke up when Dean touched his shoulder.

"C'mon, I'll help you in and then you can lie down," Dean said quietly, and Alec nodded.

Dean pulled Alec's shaking arm over his shoulder and he helped him get out of the car. Alec had to lean against him, but he didn't collapse completely so maybe the milk had helped a little.

"Where are we?" Alec asked in a small voice once they started moving.

"Do you remember Kathy from the Diner?" After Alec nodded, Dean continued, "We're at her house. I was hoping she would know what to do with the Taylors, but she invited us in too…"

Alec didn't ask any more questions, but it was only a short walk from the car to the house so it didn't take them very long.

Kathy seemed to have a nice house, but all Dean saw was the sofa. He made a beeline for it and was surprised to see Kathy walk in with a glass of milk; Sam must have asked her for one.

She stopped at the sight of Dean supporting Alec across the living room. A tremor went through Alec that was strong enough to shake Dean and he decided now would be a good time for him to lie down.

"Oh sugar," Kathy said in sympathy and she set the glass of milk down on the coffee table. "What kind of medicine does he need?"

"Tryptophan…" Dean grunted out as he eased Alec onto the sofa.

"There isn't a pharmacy around here that would carry that," Kathy said in concern.

"How much milk do you have?" Dean asked instead.

"A little over a gallon, why?"

"Apparently, there's tryptophan in milk," Dean replied with a smirk.

Kathy walked back to what Dean thought was the kitchen, and he suspected that was where Sam and the Taylors were. Instead of following her, Dean got Alec to sit up, but he leaned him against himself. He grabbed the glass of milk and helped Alec slowly drink the contents. It was difficult since he was still shaking, but they managed to empty most of it without spilling.

Alec had just drunk the last gulp when there was a knock on the door. Kathy walked to the door and let two uniformed policemen in. They nodded at Dean and Alec on the sofa and then followed Kathy back into the kitchen.

Dean could hear them talking, but it was too low for him to make out the exact words.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Dean asked quietly.

Alec nodded and then said, "They're asking Sam if Vince is really dead and where he died at…they have evidence against them, but they couldn't do anything while Vince was around…Kathy helped get them evidence…there should be enough to put them away for life…they should be coming through here in a minute…"

Alec was right; a moment later Cody and Nathan were led through the living room by the two policemen and then they were out the door and out of their lives for good.

Alec seemed to doze off after they left and Dean didn't have the heart to move him just yet. Sam suddenly appeared in the doorway and a smile spread across his face at the sight of Alec leaning against Dean in sleep.

"You think he's going to be ok?" Sam asked quietly after a moment.

"Yeah, I think so," Dean replied.

"Alright…c'mon, I need to patch up your shoulder and you need to check my head so we can get some sleep."

Dean nodded and he gently eased Alec down to lie flat on the sofa. The kid was still shaking, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before.

He couldn't stop the look of worry that crossed his face at the thought of leaving Alec alone. Kathy must have sensed what was going through his head because she stepped up and said, "I'll look out for him and if he needs something, I'll call you over."

Dean finally decided it was ok to leave Alec alone and he followed Sam back into the kitchen.

"So, what happened with the Taylors?" Dean asked as he started cleaning the cut on Sam's head.

"Kathy and some of the cops had been putting together a case against the Taylor's, but they couldn't do anything until he was gone. He'd threatened half the town and anyone who went against him disappeared, so no one wanted to do anything. Now that he's gone, they're going to convict Cody and Nathan…so I guess it all works out."

They were quiet as they patched each other up; it was something that they were both use to, even though neither of them really liked that fact.

It didn't take long, but by the time Sam had finished taping up his shoulder, he was exhausted and was trying not to nod off.

"C'mon, let's go see where Kathy wants us…" Sam muttered after a moment.

Dean followed Sam to the living room where Kathy had set up a cot and an air mattress. She was sitting next to Alec on the sofa and was talking to him in a soothing voice. His tremors had lessoned quite a bit, but anytime one shook his frame Kathy would whisper something and stroke his hair soothingly.

She looked up in surprise at Sam and Dean's entrance and admitted in a sad voice, "I used to have a son…he was a wonderful boy, but he died of cancer a few years after his father died. You three remind me of him…" She wiped her eyes and then laughed a little. "Oh, listen to me; you two look exhausted and I'm over here-" She waved her hand in the air and looked away.

Dean walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He took her hand in his and said sincerely, "Kathy, thank you."

She patted the side of his cheek and then said, "No, thank you…you've done more for this town than I can even thank you for…Now, you two get a good night's sleep. I'll make some breakfast for you in the morning and you're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

Dean nodded his thanks and then turned to lie down and fall into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Kathy made them a wonderful breakfast in the morning, but they left soon afterward. They had made it through another hunt, but there would always be work to do.


End file.
